Hello, Severus
by TheHunter747
Summary: During Harry's first Occlumency lesson, Severus Snape gets an unexpected and entirely unwelcome surprise.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, I got writer's block halfway through the eighth chapter of Alchemy, so I decided to write this spooky little oneshot to clear the cobwebs away. It's going to be far different to any of my other stories, I hope. As always, I don't own the characters, even if I feel this could have been a great twist in the series.

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><p>"Clear your mind, Potter," Snape said, pointing his wand at Harry, "Legilimens!"<p>

Severus was instantly flung into a whirlwind of various images, from all across various times during the brat's life. _'Typical,' _he thought to himself, _'even Potter's mind is a disorganized mess. So like his father. Useless, arrogant, and lazy. He'll never succeed at this.' _Suddenly, an image flew past that Severus knew for a fact Potter could never have seen - the memory of his initiation into the Death Eaters. Curiosity well and truly sparked by the erroneous memory, Severus pushed deeper into the brat's mind, tearing through the flimsy natural defenses in Potter's head.

The closer he got to the subconscious mind, the more Severus started to see evidence that Potter's mind might not be quite as defenceless as he had initially thought. Continuing on, though with a great deal more caution, it came as a shock to him when he suddenly arrived at Potter's subconscious. Standing up, he looked around, blinking in confusion. Potter's subconscious looked a great deal like some nondescript Muggle village.

A door leading in to one of the nearby houses opened, and a head poked out, looking around. The face was familiar, though it still took Severus a moment to realize he was looking at Potter himself. The clone of Potter turned and looked at him, and beamed with delight when it saw him standing there.

"Hello, Severus!"

That tore it. Something was definitely wrong with Potter's mind. No mental construct of Potter's would smile when it saw _him_, of all people, much less cheerfully greet him. Turning around to leave, Severus found his way blocked by an impossibly tall, impossibly wide wall of solid concrete. And he was willing to bet that no matter how much of it he blasted through, there would always be more. Turning back to the village, thinking that he might find another way out through there, Severus' eyes flew wide open. There had only been one Harry Potter standing in front of him only moments earlier, and it had been broad daylight. Now, it was pitch-black outside, and there were at least twenty versions of Potter, all smiling at him, and all cheerfully waving and calling out greetings to him.

Shoving past three Potters, all of whom were still saying, "Hello, Severus!" over and over again, he bolted down the path, ducking and weaving through the mass of Potters that seemed to appear from nowhere every time he tried to go into a house, or find some other way off escaping from this blasted, nightmarish realm that the boy called a mind. Eventually, he was left with no choice but to run towards the largest building in the village, a huge, imposing manor house that seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't for the life of him place it. The Potter clones, or whatever they were, seemed quite happy to let him enter the building, even going so far as to open the door for him.

The doors slammed shut with a distinctly ominous finality behind Severus, and he stopped running for a moment to catch his breath, realizing only now that he had been chased into a certain portion of the brat's mind, though for what purpose was still to be determined. Another thing that struck Severus was the fact that none of Potter's mental constructs had followed him in here. Whatever this was, it appeared to be a sacred part of the boy's mind, which Severus was sure meant that he could find a way out from here.

Looking around, Severus had no sooner thought to himself that the room he was in looked dark, than torches sprang to life all along the walls, revealing that he was not as alone as he initially thought. Sitting on what looked to be a throne of solid gold, was Harry Potter. Behind and to the boy's right, an enormous tapestry covered part of the wall, elaborate patterns weaved into it.

"Potter! What in Merlin's name is going on?"

Potter - or at least, his doppelganger - laughed, a cold, cruel laugh that was hauntingly familiar to Severus. If only he could think without that blasted buzzing noise in his ear, he'd be able to remember where he had heard it before!

"What's wrong, Severus? You don't seem too pleased to see me. I thought you wanted me to fail at Occlumency, didn't you?"

"Whatever is happening here, it is not failure, Potter. Something is affecting your mind. Now let me out of here at once!"

"Oh, Severus. Nothing is affecting my mind, except me. And I took great pains to bring you here. I'm not about to just let you go now."

Worried beyond anything he'd ever felt in his life, Severus gulped. He knew he'd heard that style of speech somewhere before, but where? It was maddening!

"Who are you? You're obviously not Potter, so who are you really?"

Potter's doppelganger seemed delighted that he had asked the question, perking up instantly. "Ah, I was wondering when you'd ask, Severus. Now I should point out that we are in the most heavily guarded part of my mind right now, and there is a tapestry concealing something right here. My greatest secret, perhaps? Why don't you have a look, Severus?"

"What the hell are you talking about?! What does your greatest secret have to do with my question?"

"Just take a look, and you'll understand everything, Severus."

Not wanting anything to do with whatever lay behind that tapestry, Severus turned to try and leave, only to be struck down with crippling agony, ten times worse than any Cruciatus Curse. Turning back, he saw that the doppelganger was frowning at him.

"Now, now, Severus. I asked you to look behind the tapestry. This is my mind, Severus, I control what happens here."

Groaning with pain, Severus latched onto the only means he could think of to appease whatever monster was in Potter's head - he walked towards the tapestry. Besides, he himself was curious as to why a name would be so carefully guarded in the deepest reaches of the subconscious mind, just to protect it from intruders. Fingers gripping the heavy cloth, he gave one sharp tug, sending the entire tapestry away from the wall to pool at his feet, only to lose what little dignity he had left by gawking at the message on the wall like an idiot.

Carved in what appeared to be crystalline flames, were four words, each taller than the Potions Master himself; I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. Turning to face the doppelganger, Severus' black eyes were met by a pair of cruel, red ones.

"Hello, Severus."

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><p>AN: Happy Halloween, everyone! Even if it is slightly early, this idea came into my mind and wouldn't leave. Oddly enough, it was while I was playing Animal Crossing: Wild World. Go figure, huh? If there is enough demand, I might do a second part to this, just tidying up the loose ends and what have you. Reviews are love, so share them please, and enjoy your own festivities, wherever you may be! Or should I say, _whatever_?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello all! I thought I would put one more chapter in this story, just to tie up the loose ends and such. Severus is in for a rude awakening. As always, I don't own the characters.

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><p>"M-my lord-"<p>

"SILENCE, TRAITOR!"

Severus fell silent, acknowledging just how bad the situation really was. If the Dark Lord was possessing Potter, then every bit of information the boy had had access to was now compromised. Including, he realized with a jolt, the location of their headquarters. Looking at Voldemort, he drew his wand, preparing to at least put up a bbit of a fight.

"Oh, Severus. Have you forgotten already? This is my mind. I control-" he flicked his hand, causing Severus' wand to disappear, "-everything that happens here. Now, why don't you ask some of the questions on your mind? I'm sure there are many you would like answers to."

Cursing silently - though he had the feeling that the Dark Lord knew everything he was thinking, and that nod of the head confirmed it - Severus decided asking some questions couldn't hurt. "How long have you been possessing Potter for?"

"Oh, it's been more than fourteen years, now. It wasn't that difficult, really."

Fourteen years? But that would mean... "You started this possession when Potter was a child? How?"

"Yes indeed. And like I said, it wasn't that difficult. No child could have enough power to defeat Lord Voldemort, no matter what that Muggle loving old fool likes to believe. My original self created a Horcrux, using the very child that was destined to defeat him to anchor himself to life. I always did appreciate subtle irony. Of course, in his haste, he overlooked one part of the ritual, and so was torn from his body, but thanks to the Horcruxi that we created before, he survived."

Horcruxi? Severus had never heard of such things, but apparently they were some kind of safety net, keeping Voldemort alive. That wasn't good, he would need to inform Albus quickly.

"Inform the old coot? Ha! If you really think I'm going to just let you leave, Severus, then you are sadly mistaken."

Damn. There went that plan. "If you really are part of the Dark Lord, why didn't you give him the Philosopher's Stone in your first year? Or help him return in your second year?"

"Ah, the Stone. Sadly, that Stone was incomplete, and I had no way of knowing how to complete it, so it was useless to me. Both I and my original self agreed to keep my cover active. Second year was... a mistake. The basilisk was insane by that point, beyond all reason and logic. The diary Horcrux was able to control it, but only barely. With two of us in the same place, it's senses were overloaded, and it went berserk. I killed the basilisk, forced the blasted phoenix to heal me, but the fang that had broken off in my arm hit the diary when I threw it aside. Not my proudest moment, and my original self was not best pleased either. But, it earned the trust of Dumbledore, so all was not lost."

"Fourth year, then? You clearly are not the Dark Lord's enemy."

Voldemort laughed at the thought. "Me, my own enemy? An interesting thought, Severus, but no, you are correct. The ritual could not work using me. But I was not the only one there that night, was I?"

The pieces began to fall into place in Severus' head. "Diggory? You took him with you deliberately?"

"Well done, Severus. I almost regret that you will have to die. It's so difficult to get good, intelligent followers these days. Yes, I stunned the boy and brought him with me. What was one more cut on a body that was covered in injuries from the third task? The wound on my arm was made to make my story more believable to Dumbledore. I must admit, I honestly didn't think he would fall for it. But he did, and so here we are."

"What about Black? And Lupin?"

"What about them? I don't know them, and neither of them served me. They are a necessary evil for me to endure, nothing more."

Severus could feel a bead of sweat form on his brow. "And what now?"

The smirk on the Dark Lord's lips became dangerous. "Now, Severus? Well, let's start with our last meeting, shall we? And yes, all the Horcruxi are linked to their creator. In our last meeting, I told you that there would be an attack on a Muggle suburb in two days time, at three pm, do you remember?"

Severus nodded, remembering the fact that he had told Albus about the attack on the Dark Lord's own orders, to 'secure his position as spy'.

"Well, the attack is going to happen, but not quite as I told you. It will actually take place ten minutes after three, when the Order has arrived and is spread out to secure the area. At the same time, another group will attack 12 Grimmauld Place, yes, I can say it, Moody told me the secret, and by extension my original self. The Order will be wiped out, or near enough that it will take them some time to regroup. I have already told my spies to stay away tonight."

"And what about me? I doubt you're going to let me live, so how will you explain my death?"

"Oh, Severus. Your death was a tragic accident. You were getting too close to a particularly embarrasing childhood memory, and my magic flared up in order to protect me from the intruder. The last thing I remember was a bright, white light exploding outwards from my body, before I lost consciousness. When I came to, you were lying on the floor, not breathing. I may not like my Potions Professor, but I don't want him dead, so I ran to get a teacher as fast as I could."

Severus' eyes widened, his breath coming in quick, short pants of fear. "Albus will find out. He'll see right through all of this!"

Voldemort's eyes glowed crimson. "Severus, he hasn't seen through me for four, going on five years now. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

Severus Snape knew he was going to die. There was no hope of him surviving this, but if he could perhaps do some damage, maybe it would help Dumbledore find the truth. Rushing at the doppelganger of Potter - he supposed it was probably more likely to be a younger version of the Dark Lord - he raised his hands to strike the man.

Voldemort sighed, raising his hand, and Severus froze in place, unable to move. "This is the third time I have told you that you have no power in my mind, Severus. Perhaps you aren't as intelligent as I initially believed." Waving his hand casually, he turned and sat back in his throne, cat-like indolence written on every feature of his face. Severus felt an odd tingling sensation behind his eyes. The sensation grew and grew until he realized that blood was leaking from his eyes, ears and nose. Opening his mouth, he staggered backwards when blood started pouring out of it. The pain finally caught up with him, and he began screaming, a long, high scream that spoke of unequalled agony.

Sitting on the throne, the image of Harry Potter dissolved, transforming into a young Lord Voldemort. Red eyes gleamed cruelly as they watched the traitor suffer, and just as the man expired, their eyes met, the Dark Lord quirked his lips in an expression that was half smile, half smirk, and said two words.

"Goodbye, Severus."

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><p>AN: And there you go, folks! Yes, Severus was a spy for Dumbledore in this one, Voldemort didn't make a mistake. Hope you all enjoy Halloween, and please remember to review!


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